The Bender's Myth
by wonderwart
Summary: Zuko has broken ties with the country he once called home. While traveling with his now injured uncle, he discovers a truth lost even to the Avatars of the past. Formerly The Giving Hand.
1. Act I and II

(Notice, I do not own the original Avatar: The Last Airbender characters or storyline. They are owned by Nickelodeon. This story and all character's else-wise ARE owned by me.)

((Originally titled "Secret of the Fire Nation", I had to change this once I found out that the next hour long episode would share this name. This story is set between episodes "Bitter Work" and "The Desert".))

**Act I: Kidnaped**

The sun fell into the horizon, causing a orange hue to cover the skies above a young rider and his fellow passenger. The traveling duo moved at slow pace, apparently in no rush to reach a certain destination. The passenger, a man who looked to be of his 50s, coughed and moaned softly. In response his guide sighed, clearly annoyed by his current state and position. "Uncle, we'll stop as soon as we get into those forest ahead. We can't risk staying out in the open tonight", said the young rider, grimacing. The old man did not respond.

Many moments later, however, 'Uncle' once again voiced his discomfort. At this, the young rider snapped the reigns of his ostrich horse and began speeding off towards the foliage in the distance, shouting the animal on. 'Uncle' said nothing about this, simply revealing a victorious grin.

After the irritable rush towards cover, the young man, now clearly ready to scream, slid from his saddle. Once he had released several heated breaths, the man turned back to his uncle's side and helped the injured from his seat on the animal. "Ah, what a day, hmm Zuko?", asked the older man. Zuko moved to look up to his uncle, but stopped and turned on his heal, then promptly marched out into the forest around him, muttering his whereabouts to his oblivious uncle, who had happily sat down on the ground, resting comfortably against a fallen tree.

Away from their camp, the teenager began picking up fallen limbs and other pieces of burnable material. Grumbling to himself, he failed to notice a shadow behind him. As the young man continued his moment of self-pity, the watching shadow moved around him, only to vanish suddenly as Zuko raised back up, his arms full. "Uncle better be happy with this", the angsty youth complained, and then started to return to his camp.

As he walked back he noticed a piece of dark-colored cloth hanging from a small bush nearby. Observing his own clothes in anger, the teen mumbled curses to himself, deciding that this day had been one of the worst. But, finding no tears or holes in his apparel, Zuko observed the cloth again. It wasn't old in make, so perhaps he and his uncle were close to civilization. Worried, the teen rushed back to his uncle, the piece of cloth dangling loosely between two free fingers.

Once back at camp, Zuko dropped the gathered wood into two separate piles and quickly set the one closest to his uncle on fire. The Uncle sighed happily and rummaged through a bag attached to the saddle on the nearby resting ostrich horse. Pulling out a pot, he moved quickly to a canteen in his lamp and poured water from the canteen into the pot. Then, whistling to himself, the older man handed the now full pot to the younger boy. "Will you warm this up for me, please nephew?", asked 'Uncle', seeming to have a natural good humor about a rather dreary situation he and his company were in.

Zuko studied the pot and then grabbed it up from his uncle, huffing slightly out of annoyance; then tossed the older man the recovered cloth. The uncle grabbed up the cloth, and then looked up in confusion to his nephew who by now simply held the teapot in his hand, somehow warming it by the heat generated in his palm. "I found it while I was gathering firewood, but it's not from my own clothes. It's relatively new, and considering the weave's quality, I would say it came from a Water tribe."

'Uncle' nodded in agreement to his nephew's observation. "Yes, it's from a Water tribe, that much I can tell. But we can not be near any town..." Suddenly, the old man looked up into the trees and squinted. Quickly looking back to the teenager, the older man coughed once and spoke quietly. "Zuko, after we eat and I finish my tea, we should go to sleep."

Zuko said nothing to his uncle's request, although he felt as if some key information was being kept secret by the older man. Regardless, the young man nodded slightly as he handed the now hot teapot back to his uncle and bent over to find some food in the same packet the pot had emerged from earlier.

**Act II: Introductions**

Later in the night, Zuko awoke to the sounds of two women talking. Feeling a pain in his stomach, the exiled prince began to move around, only to find himself bent over someone's shoulder, his hands and feet tied together, and a cloth over his eyes. Waking up fully, the teenager began to thrash about, only to have a very strong fist slam into the side of his thigh. "Stop moving boy", a strong voice demanded, "I'm not enjoying this task anymore than you're enjoying the ride."

Zuko began to panic until he heard his uncle's voice. "Zuko, don't worry, they promised not to hurt us unless we made trouble."

To this a woman commented, "He speaks the truth, young firebender. We are normally very friendly, but we cannot risk exposure yet, so please, don't scream and keep your voice low. We're almost back at the compound now."

A second woman, who Zuko guessed to be very young by the sound of her voice, laughed. "Iroh, please!", she pleaded. "A little more distance between you and I! I will trip!" To this request, Zuko's uncle laughed.

"Yes madam, but perhaps you can let my rope out a bit further."

The man holding on to Zuko grunted. "The length of the rope has nothing to do with how close you are to my wife, fire-man."

Zuko fought back a smile as he heard an 'eep' come from his uncle. "Many apologies, sir, I had no idea."

The man grunted again but this time the young woman spoke. "It's fine, Iroh, my husband tends to be very jealous when other men come close to me", the woman confided, and then began to laugh again.

It wasn't until many moments later that Zuko felt a rush of cold air against the back of his neck and the sound of a door being slid open that he gained back his vision. Looking around for those who had captured his uncle and himself from their camp, Zuko blinked quickly. "How-how did they get away so quickly?" he thought out loud.

"Zuko, could you help me please?", came his uncle's voice from behind him. The teen quickly turned his head to see his uncle in the corner of the room, struggling to untie new bonds. Quickly the youth got up onto his knees and scooted close to his uncle's side, waiting for the older man to move.

Iroh turned away from his nephew, and Zuko scooted into a new position, sat back and waited for his uncle to give further instructions. "Are you able to snap your fingers, nephew?", the older man asked.

Zuko almost gasped when he heard the request. Of all times, he had forgotten a simple trick to get out of the ropes tied around his wrist and ankles! Wriggling his fingers, he found that he could indeed do as his uncle asked. Quickly, he burned through his uncle's bonds, but found it to be irritably hard to try the same trick on his own.This was quickly resolved as he felt his uncle's hands twitching fast above his own, and in a matter of moments, the teenager was able to untie the length around his ankles and stand up.

Helping his uncle to do the same, both men moved close together and began forming an escape plan. "I will distract anyone I can who might be outside guarding the door while you make a run for it", Zuko suggested to his uncle, who nodded in response.

Now with a plan in mind, the two moved in closer to the door, both saying a small prayer in hopes of getting away with their lives. The older man reached first for the door and slid it slowly open. Looking both ways, the old man began to dash out of the room, running towards the nearby trees, Zuko behind him. Neither got very far before they heard a shrill whistle in air, and before the young man could get any further, he felt two strong but small arms wrap around his own. "Stop", the captor's voice commanded.

Zuko, in anguish, bucked against his new hold and quickly moved into a battle stance, ready to fight off anyone that stood in the way of his escape. Facing his enemy, the youth took his first look at those who had endangered his uncle's and his own lives. A small distance before him stood a woman, not much older than he, dressed in a decorated white and pink robe with a small frown on her face.

The exiled prince was startled, to say the least. Yet, disregarding the woman's obvious delicate and peaceful stance, he allow his only weapons to come forth in preparation to strike back if the chance came. Suddenly he felt two strong hands on his shoulders, which he instinctively noticed to be his uncles. "Calm down the fire, Zuko", the older man asked, "she is not an enemy, and I gravely misjudged our campsite location."

Zuko turned around to face his uncle, "What do you mean? She is most likely the lady of this house, judging from her clothes! It was probably her soldiers that brought us here!"

Iroh shook his head in disagreement. "Those were not soldiers, they were her own guards. She is indeed a lady, however, but not of this house. She is a good friend of mine from my war days."

Needless to say, the teenager looked aghast at his uncle. Waving his hands in the air, the confused youth shouted, "How can you possibly tell that! We've only seen her for a few moments and you tell me that we're not escaping because you think she's your friend? Even though she just had her lackey's practically bounce us all the way here?"

A new voice answered, "He knows her because she stopped him from running away and held you in place without even touching either of you."

Zuko turned in the direction of this voice and found a man, perhaps 6 feet tall, looking back at him, dressed in Earth nation clothes. Beside the man stood a woman, dressed in a pale blue kimono much alike the first girl's, and behind her stood an older woman, around the same age as his uncle, dressed in white and gold. Each of said characters had a similar frown on their faces, evidently bothered that their captured guest had tried to escape.

Iroh had, by now, moved past Zuko towards the first woman, a smile growing on his face.

"How long has it been since I last saw you, young one?" The woman did not respond at first, only turned her head away from Iroh, clearly saddened by this question.

Finally, she did respond, but quietly enough that Zuko had to lean in slightly to hear. "Since his death, Iroh", was all she would admit, and to the young man's surprise, his uncle seemed to completely understand her simple statement. Iroh shrunk back and bowed his head at the realization, now appearing to be ashamed by his question. The woman said nothing of this new attitude emitted by the old man, and simply gestured her 'guests' back towards the house they had tired to escape from earlier.

The youth felt strangely embarrassed by his actions, unsure of why. Looking again at his uncle, he noticed that the retired general had not yet lifted his head since his silent retreat from the woman, moments before. Curious, Zuko asked, "Uncle, what is that woman's significance to you? How do you know her? Can we trust her?"

Iroh did not raise his head to these questions, and simply replied, "Her name is Ora."


	2. Act III and IV

(Notice, I do not own the original Avatar: The Last Airbender characters or storyline. They are owned by Nickelodeon. This story and all character's else-wise ARE owned by me.)

**Act III: Emotionless**

Zuko awoke the next morning to the shouts of battle cries and the familiar 'clang' of swords. Very confused and baffled by his new surroundings, the young man sprang onto his feet. In the process of doing so, he found himself to be fighting off the urge to lay down, due to a headache that stretched across the back of his head into his neck, most likely the results of sleeping on a hard wood floor.

Carefully, the young teen moved towards his uncle's slumbering form, curled up just inches away from the sliding doors that gave exit to their temporary cell. "Uncle," Zuko whispered, "wake up." Iroh responded by gradually stretching out his limbs and letting out a loud, rough yawn.

"Zuko, it is not like you to be up so early", stated the still sleepy-eyed man. The younger ignored this observation and reached over the larger man's form. He slid the doors open enough so that he could let in the growing sunlight and the looked back at his uncle, who had once more closed his eyes to sleep.

As the young man nudged his uncle awake once more, he asked, "Can you here that? Someone is fighting outside!" Iroh merely scratched his head and shrugged his shoulder's in response. Soon after he slid himself up into a sitting position and took his turn at gazing out into the dawning world.

"There is no army that would risk climbing a foreign landscape such as this. Therefore", the man yawned before continuing, "it must be someone training in the yards out front. No worries."

Zuko studied his uncle's face, hoping to find some sort of clue to decode the older man's recent cryptic behavior and speech. Giving up momentarily in a huff, Zuko retorted, "What do you mean, 'No army would risk climbing this landscape'! How do you even know where we are ? Where exactly are we then, Uncle Iroh!"

Iroh, as usual, disregarded his nephew's temper and explained, "This land has no decided name, because it is not owned nor recognized by any nation surrounding us. The compound is 'owned' by Ora, but in all truth, she is merely a leader of the area, self-appointed to it's upkeep and—"

Zuko interrupted his uncle, clearly unimpressed by the older man's knowledge of the surrounding landscape. "How can this not be owned by the Earth Kingdom? It rest in the middle of it!"

Iroh coughed, and began his explanation again. "Your great-grandfather, Lord Sozin, was told of this land when he first came into rule. It is said that if a man were to stay on this land even for a night, he would either carry a divine bless or curse with him when he reached the other side. The lord walked the entire distance, carrying with him only a small amount of water. When he reached the other side, he tripped, but as he fell, as it is told, he was given a vision of himself obtaining the power of the sun."

Zuko, now considerably calmer, asked, "And that vision came true, didn't it, Uncle?" Iroh nodded and continued on with the story.

"Yes, in a sense, it did. So, with the power given to him by the comet, my grandfather began the war, but did not forget the mountain. Actually, it was one of the first places that he tried to obtain from the Earth Kingdom, only to find that the king could not give it to him, because it was a sacred land, therefore it was against the laws of the Earth nation to give it as a gift.

Sozin did not enjoy this, as he demanded ultimate perfection in all plans. So he tried, many times, to claim the land for himself, declaring that since the Earth Nation could not give it, it was not their's in the first place. Many tribes, including those of the Water and the dwindling Air nations, came and fought in many numbers against the army assembled by Sozin to capture this sacred mountain. Finally, in the third week of battle, the very angry and tired Sozin dismissed the plan, and made a new law for the Fire Nation, that none under his rule could ever step foot there.

The Earth Kingdom, in gratitude to their savior nations, declared that even if they could not 'give' the sacred mountain once known as Uma away, they could release their ties on it and allow it to be a shared and un-claimed sanctuary. And that was how it remained, until Ozai came into power."

Zuko waited for his uncle to continue, but as the older man began to, a woman's scream flooded the air. Both men jumped to their feet and rushed out into the compounds yard, only to be made into gaping fools as a young girl dashed by, a sword raised to her right side. Observing the woman's war path, they also made not that not too far away stood the oldest woman, dressed in white pants and shirt, holding a similar sword drawn to her left.

In moments, much before either man could collect his thoughts on the situation, the girl and woman had collided their weapons above their heads. Zuko could only guess at their stances that despite the younger woman's momentum, the old woman had not budged more than a few inches from her previous stance. He could also observe that the woman was having less trouble-most obvious by her teasing grin-as she held the younger girl back, who the young teen could tell was breathing rather heavily.

"Mother", cried the young woman, breathing deeply before continuing. "At least you could _act_ like I was putting up some sort of fight!" The mother laughed at this and switched her stance. The exiled prince laughed at this as well, concluding that while the woman may have gestured that she was putting herself at a handicap, she had already won this fight. The girl knew this as well, because just as Zuko decided this, the young woman stepped back from her mother and bowed. Then, in a flash akin to the same speed as earlier, the girl threw out her sword from her right, sending it straight towards the rack several feet away. What surprised Zuko the most, however, was the fact that the weapon landed perfectly in the rack, between a war hammer and a staff.

"Enough for today, Yumi?", questioned the mother as she studied her blade. "You didn't put up much of a fight." The girl snorted in response.

Before either could argue further, however, the third woman from last night came into Zuko's view and addressed them briefly. "Breakfast has been set. Will one of you please fetch the guests and the other get Xiong?", she asked in a monotone voice. Both women bowed in compliance to this request and separated into their different paths.

The older woman tugged at her modest bun on top of her head as she walked over to the section where both Iroh and Zuko were staying, not paying much attention to the younger man's scrabble to get inside and put on his shirt.

While inside, Zuko took a deep breath and quickly arranged himself to go outside. Turning around, he noticed that his uncle had already finished and was opening the door for the old woman. "Give my nephew a second more", Iroh commented, and then stepped out to speak quietly with the woman. Zuko stepped out moments later, ready to go ahead.

The group reached the table set outside. As they approached, the young teen observed that 'breakfast' was simply a cascade of different fruits, fresh bread, tea and milk. As he waited for the other individuals to arrive, the boy took a seat next to his uncle, who had in turn sat on the left of Ora.

Ora, seemingly in her own world, stared out at the table with emotionless eyes, and then looked to Iroh. "We do not eat much meat here, aside from Xiong, so I didn't set any out for our breakfast. I apologize if that's to your displeasure."

Zuko merely shook his head no, and Iroh smiled. "This arrangement is well enough for us, we have not had such a meal since–", stopping, the old man reached up and pulled at his beard. "Well, I can't remember the last time we had a meal like this." Zuko chose not to further the discussion by looking away from the table and up towards the approaching couple.

The young girl from earlier had changed her outfit to a kimono of purple while her husband simply trudged behind dressed again in the Earth nation clothes from the night before. Behind them appeared a small girl, no more than 5, clutching tightly to a ragged doll in her arms. The little girl wore a shorter kimono, much alike that found in the Water tribe. It was an array of colors, starting with deep red at the girl's neck and ending with a pale violet at the bottom hem.

Zuko again chose not to say anything in regards to this. It was pointless, stating the clothing laws set by the Fire nation when he did not follow them himself. Instead, he waited patiently as the three individuals sat opposite of himself, and his uncle. The oldest woman had sat down at the opposite end of the table while the other's were approaching.

The table guests ate in silence for several moments before the older woman coughed once and began to speak. "General Iroh", she began, only to be stopped by Iroh hand.

"My lady, it is simply Iroh now. I no longer serve as an officer for the Fire Nation army."

The woman smirked at this correction, a glimmer of humor in her eyes. Once again, she started to speak. "What news that is, Iroh, and here I was thinking that you still had–", and once again a hand rose to correct her, this time being Ora's.

"Auntie Bone, no politics at the table. Please make your point so that Iroh can finish his breakfast."

'Auntie Bone' laughed at this and cleared her throat before coming to her point. "Dear sir, it has come to my attention that you seem to be experiencing some pain in your lower stomach. Perhaps you would like me to see if I can help relieve that after breakfast? It comes at no trouble, since I am a waterbender."

Iroh smiled slyly at the older woman and nodded, then returned to sipping his tea.

Zuko once more kept his mouth shut, preferring an inner calm at the moment opposed to screaming for information as he had the night before.

**Act IV: Clear Knowledge**

Zuko sat quietly beside his uncle as the old man observed Ora before them, weaving a tapestry of gold and green. She hummed softly to herself and seemed to be completely oblivious to her audience. Iroh smiled as he picked up on the tune from the girl, and began to sing the song out loud. Zuko, finding this behavior ridiculous, rolled his eyes and crossed his arms in front of himself.

Ora stopped her handwork and finally noticed the men to her left. For the first time since their arrival, she smiled at the former general and shifted her posture to face her company. "It's been a long time since I've heard someone sing that song", she said softly as Iroh finished part of the tune. Softly and sweetly, she continued the song, closing her eyes and raising her hands to her chest as if it were a prayer.

Zuko watched, spellbound, as the girl sang the rest of the lullaby-like song. He let a rare smile gaze over his face briefly until he heard his uncle's applause. Turning his head towards the older man, Zuko listened as Iroh complimented the girl on her perfect finish.

"You sound even more lovely than your mother did", he complimented, laughing at a supposed old memory. Ora laughed as well, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Everyone sang better than my mother, Uncle."

Iroh began to chuckle heartedly at this opinion, and when he was finally able to speak, only 'tsk'ed the young woman and shook his head in disbelief. "Your mother was a lovely woman, none-the-less. Such a good hostess! She was one of the last who truly appreciated the beautiful art of tea-making!", then sighing to himself, the old man drifted into his memories, leaving the two youths to sit in silence, amused by his good humor.

After a while, Ora turned her attention to Zuko and smiled. Unsure of how to react, the young man's face twisted into one of confusion, waiting for the girl to make her point. Seeing the prince's reaction, she soon did. "Zuko, I am aware that we have not had a proper introduction. I apologize for my earlier behavior in this case. I am Ora, a former governess of the Fire Nation."

Zuko was surprised. After what his uncle had said that morning, how could this be possible? Before he could question her, however, Iroh stepped in to pose a question to the woman. "Would you mind, Ora, if perhaps I could explain that further to my nephew. I told him some information earlier about this area that might lead him into confusion." Ora nodded in agreement and sat silently as Iroh continued to tell the girl's history.

"After your great-grandfather gained power, he appointed several men he considered allies to be governors of his growing lands. The second man he appointed was Ora's great-grand father, a former Fire sage called Lior, who traded in his robes of the Western Fire Temple to serve as a general for Sozin's army. Lior was well-known as a strategist, and held the left hand position to Sozin at the Fire Lord's War chamber. As such, the sage-turned-governor's family remained in close contact with the Fire Lord's. I remember as a young boy being trained on occasion by Ora's grandfather, Governor Niu, and then playing with her father, Captain Hao-cun. But when we became teenagers, things between us changed.

While Hao-cun and I were friends, he and your father were not on the best of terms. But, for the sake of family traditions, the two never spoke more to one another than was needed. Except on three occasions. When Hao-cun married an Earth noble named Azadeh, when Azadeh and a young Ora moved to an Earth village after Ozai banished her, and when Hao-cun-- "

Ora interrupted, "My father did not agree with your father becoming Fire Lord, Zuko. When your grandfather died, my father thought at first that Iroh would gain the throne, or perhaps even you. He told me once that out of the eligible candidate, only you two would have made any difference to the Fire Nation's status. You two would've changed the war. But, for some reason, Ozai was appointed as the Fire Lord."

Again Iroh began to continue, seeing that his nephew stirred uneasy at Ora's confession. "I know you are unaware of this name, Zuko, as it has been–"

This time Zuko spoke. "My father banished Captain Hao-cun because the traitor did not understand loyalty. He ran away when my father needed him most!"

Iroh, placing his hand on Zuko's shoulder, moved to rebuke his nephew's statement but was again interrupted by the young woman, who immediately stood at the accusation, walked over to Zuko and slapped him hard across the face. "You know nothing, son of Ozai", she stated, her voice even but sharp. The young man pushed away from his uncle and held his hand up to nurse the bruised cheek. This did not stop Ora from continuing, however. "My father did not run away. After his last argument he was killed because he could not stand for another hundred years of war and addressed this concern to your father. You know how such actions as those end, young prince. The proof is laid upon your face."

Zuko, still mildly surprised by the girl's remarks, grew mad, yet could not decide if it was from Ora's words or the embarrassment of his own. So calmly the young man stood up from his seat and moved around and away from the two observers, then returned to the room he had used the night before.

This time it was Iroh's turn to stay silent, while Ora simply continued to watch as Zuko slid the doors together.


	3. Act V and VI

(Notice, I do not own the original Avatar: The Last Airbender characters or storyline. They are owned by Nickelodeon. This story and all character's else-wise ARE owned by me.)

((The name, 'Zhu', means "pearl" in Chinese-or so I was told. 'Zhen Mei' is supposed to mean 'Precious Rose', and 'Xi-feng' is 'superior pheonix' or something. The others I can't remember.))

**Act V: In A Name**

As the sun began to set, Iroh and Ora decided to walk along a path on the outside of the compound walls. Iroh hummed to himself as the two companions watched the leaves shift with the wind, but chose not to speak to the young girl. Ora's disposition had been proven to be very uptight in the past moments, something Iroh felt was better left un-enquired about.

Right after he had finished humming, however, it seemed that Ora need to express something of her attitude from earlier. "Iroh", she began, only to be immediately hugged by the old man, who chuckled lightly in the process. Iroh stood back after a few moments of this embrace and shook his head in disagreement.

"There is nothing you need explain, _Zhen Mei_." In response to this name, the girl gasped, and then carefully stepped away from the retired general.

"I haven't...I haven't been called that name since I was a little girl. And only by my father. How is it that you know my nickname?"

Iroh laughed heartedly at this, all-the-while grasping his stomach, as he was still a bit sore. Wiping the tears from his eyes, the old man explained, "When your father found out that he had finally been blessed with a child, the first person he sent a letter to outside the family was me. In the letter he wrote that in the surprise of finding out that he would have a daughter, Azadeh and he could not decide on a name. Your mother wanted you to be named after her mother, 'Kira'. Your father thought that the name 'Xi-feng' would have suited you. Your grandfather Niu wanted you to have the name 'Zhu' because he said that after all the trouble your parents went through to have you, the spirits had blessed them with the perfect child.

Hao-cun asked me to decide from these names, but I could not. Instead, I sent him the name 'Zhen Mei', because I thought it would suit you in your later years. And I was right. You have grown into a beautiful woman, but even my old eyes can see that you are not one to cross. Exactly like a rose. "

Ora smiled at this tidbit of history. "Father called me that, rather than the name I was given instead. I never understood why I was given the name 'Ora' instead."

"Because my father, Fire Lord Azulon, asked if you could be. Apparently he was very fond of the name, and your father did not want to cross him by denying his request. I think suits you, given the circumstances of– "

"Please, Uncle Iroh, let's not speak of that today. I do not enjoy it." Iroh nodded at this small request, and offered his arm out to the girl.

"And you have not called me 'Uncle' in a very long time either."

The young woman smiled at older man at his remark and then looked up to the sky to see the moon beginning to shine through the clouds. "Come", she requested, returning her gaze to the retired general. "It is time to eat dinner. Perhaps later you and I can play Pai Sho while Auntie Bone makes us some tea." At this offer, the retired general's face lit up brightly with a smile that seemed too big for his face, sending the solemn woman into a fit of giggles.

Slyly, the man leaned over to the woman, one eyebrow raised. "And what tea will this be?"

Ora covered her mouth, almost unable to contain the happiness she recieved from the man's joy over her offer. Coughing slightly in effort to regain face, she replied, "Why Manchu, of course, dear Uncle. Unless of course, you would rather have Moon Chai." The young woman almost swore that she heard a girlish squeal emitted from the man's mouth at this offer. The only reply she received, however, was the action of being dragged back into the compound by a newly spry older man.

And indeed, several moments later she found herself walking briskly towards her home, and then directly towards the table her guests had shared earlier at breakfast. Relishing in the shocked faces made by all who had already assumed their places around the meal, Ora watched as Iroh practically ran to his seat, a grin upon his face.

Unsure about why his uncle was acting this way, Zuko studied the man's face. "Uncle", he started, seeming almost afraid of the man's reaction to his question, "why are you so happy right now?" Iroh calmed down somewhat at this, then adjusted himself back into his normal behavior.

Rubbing his hands together, he looked over the food, at then at his nephew. "I am happy because as soon as we finish this wonderful meal our hostess has offered to serve tea and play a game of Pai Sho with me."

Ora, by now in her own seat, happily gestured for her guest to begin eating. As they did, she noticed that the young man simply sat in his seat, not bothering to eat. Carefully, she nudged Iroh's shoulder and then directed the older man's vision to his nephew. Iroh studied Zuko's behavior and then reached forward towards a bowl full of rice. Picking the bowl up, he held it before his nephew and began to pile the starch into the boy's separate bowl. As the young man began to protest, the older man set the bowl –now almost empty– back down and then grabbed a small piece of salted fish from a separate dish, dipped it into his nephew's now full bowl and then shoved it into Zuko's mouth.

Zuko choked slightly and then chewed on the food, the aggravation he felt from his uncle's action clearly written on his face. Then, as if he understood why his uncle had done such, he picked up his own pair of chopsticks and began to eat. Moments after, he heard a woman's laugh and looked up to find Ora covering her mouth the best she could, a glint of laughter still hidden behind her blue-grey eyes. Grumbling, he shifted his glare to his food, slightly embarrassed by being force fed.

Ora, seeing a new blush spread across the prince's cheeks, calmed herself down. "I'm sorry, Prince Zuko", she admitted softly, almost as if it was for the young man's ears alone. Zuko looked up to this admission, surprised.

"It's alright", he replied calmly.

The young woman bowed her head. "Perhaps tomorrow, once you have awakened, we could...that is if you feel like it...perhaps we can match our strengths tomorrow in a sparring match?"

Zuko studied the girl's appearance for a second before answering. His uncle had mentioned to him that she was the daughter of parents from both the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom, so that would explain her dark hair. She was fair-skinned, another trait from the Fire Nation. What he couldn't explain however, were her eyes. Under the light from the surrounding torches, they seemed almost grey, a trait from neither lands her parents hailed from. This left him confused as to what bending the girl actually did. "Your are either a firebender or an earthbender, correct?"he inquired, hoping for the girl to correct him.

"Yes", was her simple reply.

"'Yes' to which?"

Ora shifted her eyes away from Zuko and looked to Iroh, who by now was sitting back, rubbing his stomach in contentment. "I was thinking we should duel with weapons opposed to bending."

Zuko growled at this answer. "You're avoiding my question. Which element do you bend?"

To everyone's surprise, Xiong answered this question. "You are avoiding accepting or denying her offer. Will you fight with her tomorrow or not, fire-boy?"

Zuko, angered by this interruption, slammed his fist down on the table. "It is my right to know what I will face tomorrow! Now, someone tell me what this girl bends!"

"Settle down young man", replied Aunt Bone, who's eyes remained on her food. "She did not challenge you to an Agni Kai. Besides, you will never know the true power of your enemy on the battlefield, why would it matter now to know the skills of this girl?"

"While I was an officer, at least I knew the source of which my enemy drew his power from. I know nothing of this girl's. Now, again I will ask this, is she a fire or earthbender?"

This time Aunt Bone did look up. Zuko, although keeping a fierce eye on the outside, fought off the inner fright as the old woman's hazel eyes seemed to bore holes through his skull. "You will calm yourself, young firebender", she demanded, her voice dark. "Or I shall duel you myself tomorrow, and from my estimations, you still have many things left to learn."

"There is nothing an Earthbender can teach me.", retorted the seething young man.

"Be careful, nephew...", came the calm voice of Iroh, "at this table, appearances are deceiving. The woman you know as Aunt Bone is not the earthbender you perceive her to be. Nor is Xiong or his wife."

"The only earthbender in this compound", commented Xiong, "is my daughter Hea."

Smoke shot from Zuko's nose as Iroh continued to explain. "'Aunt Bone's true name is Botan, and if I am correct, she is better known as ' the Sword Scar' a figure from your history lessons as a child. A very formidable firebender in my own opinon."

Zuko stared at the now grinning old woman, completely baffled as to how this small person could possibly be the same warrior from the stories he was told as a young boy. "Xiong is a waterbender from the Northern tribe, his wife Yumi, is an accomplished swordsman."

Zuko, once again confused by his uncle's explanations, merely decided to bring everyone's attention back to his original question. "All I care about is who I'm fighting tomorrow, Uncle."

Iroh, now rather irritated by his nephew's persistency, simply stood up and bowed to those left at the table, then waited as Ora excused herself in similar manner. Addressing the young man briefly before he turned to leave with the lady of the compound, the stout old man remarked, "If the person who you will be fighting tomorrow will not answer, it is not our place to do so instead." And with that, the two walked away, which eventually led to the entire dismissal of the dinner table.

**Act VI: The Truth**

When Zuko awoke the next morning, he found his Uncle had returned to their shared room, and was sleeping in the same spot he had the day before, yet this time he had somehow obtained a mattress and blankets to cover himself with. Zuko, on the other hand, had slept with his shirt as his cover, and now felt very jealous of this difference in situations. Before he could react to this, however, a shadow approached outside of the door, and soon afterwards the woman he now knew as formally as Botan slid the doors apart and spoke sternly into the crack.

"Breakfast is set", was all she stated before sliding the doors together again.

Iroh stirred at this news and began to slowly rise from his sleep. Zuko, already awake, simply slid his shirt back around his shoulders and stood, waiting for his uncle. The older man took his time, pacing himself until Zuko began to grow impatient and promptly walked around the uncle, careful not to step on the man's bedding, but not so much that when he slid the doors open enough to step out of the room, he slammed them together loudly.

Several minutes later, the now familiar group sat together for the third time as they ate their breakfast. All remained silent throughout the meal, until the dishes were being collected, when Ora began to speak softly. "Zuko", she stated calmly as she waited for his attention, "have you made your decision about my offer?"

"Yes", he replied. "I will take you up on your offer, regardless of my reservations towards it." Needless to say, this answer left an array of expressions around the table.

It was Xiong who spoke first. "Will you fight with your bending or with weapons?"

Zuko shrugged at this question, then directed his attention back to Ora, who now looked down in contemplation of the upcoming duel. Finally, after an inward deliberation, the young woman looked up to her audience. "This will be a bender's spar."

Botan had returned to the table by this time and Zuko noticed the worried look she flashed towards him. _What did this decision entail for him?_

Standing up from her seat, Xiong's wife bowed slightly. "I go will prepare the ring. When will you start, Lady Ora?"

The young woman breathed deeply and then answered. "Give Zuko and I until the sun is directly above us. That is when we will begin." Yumi bowed again and was off. Ora then turned towards Zuko and Iroh, who had by now directed their attention towards the young woman, ready for anything she might want to share with them before the rest of the table departed until several hours from now. "Zuko, I have decided that it would be best if we address this as an Agni Kai", she started, briefly to hear Aunt Bone's snort of disapproval. Continuing she instructed them, "Please take this time to meditate and prepare. Although I must make one distinction. While we will be performing the necessary steps of your common Fire Nation duel, neither of us is to attempt to take the other's life. This will merely be an exercise. Is that understood?"

Zuko shook his head in agreement. Iroh also nodded and then regained his feet, ready to return to their room. "We shall see each other at noon, Ora", the retired general offered as a goodbye, and then walked from the table. Zuko soon followed, leaving behind the young girl and her older guardian in peace.

Ora looked to Botan, who had crossed her arms and grumbled to herself since the girl's conclusion. "Auntie, this decision was made last night between Iroh and myself. I see no harm in it as long as the prince and I keep it within safe boundaries."

Again Botan snorted. "This is a foolish move, Ora. You take too many risks with this boy. I can accept the Dragon of the West because he has proven his loyalty to us tenfold, but I cannot expect the same with the boy."

"I will not try to sway you Auntie, but I feel otherwise. I believe Uncle–"

"Why do you keep addressing to him as such?"

Ora drew her eyes to the ground, "Because I never got the chance to call him 'Father'."

At this confession, Botan sat up and walked over to the young girl, encircling Ora's small form with her arms. "I see why you trust the boy, my strong one, but he will never replace the memory of others."

Ora simply sat there, silent and still, except for her right hand, which shook as she wiped the forming tears away.


	4. Act VII and VII

(Notice, I do not own the original Avatar: The Last Airbender characters or storyline. They are owned by Nickelodeon. This story and all character's else-wise ARE owned by me.)

(This may be changed in a future date. I'm not too sure I really like how these 'Acts' turned out.)

**Act VII: Fierce Opponent**

After two hours of steady meditation, Zuko began to prepare for the duel between himself and Ora. Stretching his limbs from their current stiffness, the exiled prince stood up and found his uncle behind him, sipping tea. Ignoring the old man for the time being, the prince quickly moved over to a set of white robes set out for him in front of his uncle. Iroh stopped him by wrapping his hand around the younger boy's wrist. "Zuko, there is one thing I must warn you about the girl before you fight.", he implied, waiting for the prince to give him his full attention. Zuko slowly turned his gaze on his uncle, waiting for him to continue.

"Keep your distance at all times, nephew. While she may charge at you, you must keep the distance between yourself and her."

Zuko studied the now worried look on his uncle's face, taking it to mean that Ora was perhaps a fierce opponent in close quarters. Putting this valuable information to mind, the young man nodded and then freed himself from his uncle's grasp to turn and change.

Giving himself a short few moments to change and finish his overall preparations, Zuko stepped out of his room. After waiting for his uncle to follow, the two began to walk to the far left of the compound, where a loud hammering could be heard from. Approaching this scene, the young prince took in the workings of Ora's guardians and several servants as they put the finishing touches on setting up an impressive dueling ring.

From his observations, Zuko could see that no trees existed for many meters around the ring, nor running water. Gravel was the ground source, but this had been mostly covered by a immense red tarp. The tarp had been marked with set boundaries by a white rectangle. This eliminated the chances that the girl was an earth or waterbender. Which left him to decide that she was indeed a firebender.

Inwardly humoring himself and calming his doubts, the young firebender approached the ring with renewed vigor. If indeed she was the firebender he had all but declared her to be, he had little to fear. Then thoughts of Azula came to mind. Could the girl know anything about blue flame tactics or the creation of lighting? These were factors he had foolishly overlooked.

Zuko began to worry again. He had yet to master these traits. _Would he be strong enough to defeat her if she had them?_ He had little time to debate over this, as it was at this moment Botan and Ora had chose to appear, the latter dressed in similar robes as he.

A difference about her dress however, were the arms of her shirt. They had been removed. In the absence of her sleeves were bandages covering her entire arm, excluding her fingers. This confused Zuko because he had seen her upper arms earlier, and he could not remember any injuries present on them. _Why had they been bandaged now? Would that not inhibit her from performing firebending?_

Again the young man was torn from his inside debate as he felt two hand rest themselves on his shoulders and tug at him to turn around. Thinking that this was his uncle urging him to ready himself for the mock Agni Kai, he complied easily. He was right on the person, but not on the issue.

Iroh studied his young student's conflicted expression and sighed. "Remember what I told you, nephew", the older man offered, but saw that these words reached deaf ears. Shaking the young man, he gained a little more attention and repeated his warning.

Zuko nodded in compliance. "Uncle, I have one question." Iroh's eyebrows raised, waiting. "Why does she wear bandages around her arms and hands?"

Iroh closed his eyes and bowed his head, obviously not wishing to give a full explanation for this question. What he did depart was the simple statement, "They are to your benefit, nephew."

Zuko angrily huffed at this answer. _She was putting herself at a handicap for him? Did she think that he was that weak of a fighter?_ Cursing under his breath, he began to prepare himself for the fight. He would teach the girl a lesson he knew she needed, that much was sure.

In a matter of seconds, a male voice Zuko identified as the waterbender Xiong's announced to both players the circumstances of the mock duel, emphasizing the importance of an immediate loss were one to attempt to take the life of the other purposely. "Are both fighters prepared?", he asked next, receiving nods. "When each is ready, you may begin.", he ended, walking softly away from the center and to the side of the ring.

Zuko was the first to turn around. Unsure as of who would be the first to make a move, the young prince stood in his first stance, legs wide apart and a hand out in preparation to unleash his first strike.

Ora spent little time estimating Zuko as she began the attack. She ran, faster than the boy could imagine, in his direction, hands crossed and raised infront of her. He had little time to move out of the way as she came crashing into his spot, almost tripping Zuko as he felt the earth shake underneath his feet.

_She was an earthbender?_ Zuko growled at the thought. She had put herself at a much higher handicap than he had originally perceived. But why, why had his uncle implied that she was at a handicap by her arm bandages?

Again he dodged as the girl came his way. It was all he could do but block and move out of the way as she sent strong, fierce attacks towards his chest and face. He could hear his uncle screaming. Quickly finding a spot, the young man flipped out of the immediate area of Ora, leaving her to stomp a foot once more into the ground. Again the ground shook underneath him, but something else caught his eye. No one else seemed to feel the incredibly strong vibration under his feet, even Xiong, who stood only a few feet from Ora herself.

Extremely confused, the prince steadied his stance as good as he was able, watching as Ora drew herself back in a similar position, apparently catching her breath. Taking this opportunity, Zuko quickly unleashed his own attack, sending several waves of fire in the resting girl's direction.

Ora's eyes narrowed on her former emotionless face. Quickly changing her stance to one Zuko identified as something akin to a waterbender's, the girl pulled herself towards the fireballs and swung her arms back as she caught the fire. Effortlessly she channeled the flames outside the ring and into the nearby wall of the compound, just meters from Xiong's head.

Ignoring the tall waterbender's girlish scream, Zuko immediately stopped his attack. "What are you!", he screamed, angered by this new development. "You cannot control fire and earth both! That is only something achieved by--"

"The Avatar", Ora finished, still in a fighting posture. "And you would be right, in any other case. There is only one Avatar, and I am not him."

After a while, Zuko regained his composure and began to glare at the girl heatedly. "Then what exactly are you doing?"

Ora smiled and stomped the earth below her. "You'll find out soon enough.."

Again growling, the prince gave into yet another cryptic answer and began his assault. He moved in, closer and closer as he watched the girl simply redirect the flames, her bandages beginning to burn away the process. Cunningly, Zuko saw a chance to land his first hit on her and dashed in.

He could faintly hear the renewed shouts of his uncle as he grabbed the upper arm of the young woman and squeezed down his heated palm in to her newly exposed skin. She winced as the pain sunk through and quickly freed her arm out to throw a punch at Zuko face.

Something felt strange as he touched the girl's skin. His head throbbed for a brief second as he held on to her, coming close to causing him to be hit as she swung out with her other arm._ He could not have seriously been that exhausted already, they had barely began to fight!_

He found as he studied the girl from his new position, her fighting posture had changed yet again, this time to an all-too-familiar firebending stance. Unsure of how to react to this, Zuko settled at mimicking her.

To his surprise, the girl began to fire at him. Her shots seemed to start large at first, only to end up in the shape of pin-like daggers as they closed in. Unable to entirely dodge this melee-like attack, one stuck his shoulder. The pain that resulted was intense, exactly as it were to feel if she had stabbed him with the true weapon. Groaning outloud, he covered this injured area, but rapidly regained himself as he stood back straight, a new grimace on his face. "You're a firebender", he remarked.

"Not exactly", came his reply. "But yes, I can firebend."

"What about earlier? Was that earthbending?"

"No", Ora answered, absently rubbing her injured arm, "just an illusion."

Zuko starred hard at the girl, confused and appalled. She was playing with him, either lying about her abilities or completely insane. But then it struck him. No other had felt the earth move.

In a move to test this theory, the prince charged in again, ready to land several hits to the girl's abdomen. He watched as she gracefully dodged his attack, first moving her feet to the left, and then by spinning her full self in the similar direction. Surprised, Zuko could do nothing as she came back towards him, her now flaming arms out, body spinning like a top.

The impact was brief but hard enough that it knocked the boy back and onto the ground several feet away. No longer came his uncle's screams. Just silence and the roar of blood to his ears. Pulling his sore body up, he watched as the girl came again, this time flipping sideways several times until she was a foot away from him. Without warning she launched a flying high kick on his chest, knocking Zuko onto his back and breathless.

Screaming, he rolled to his side as he noticed the girl's heated foot had burned through his shirt. Moving as quickly as he could despite the pain he felt, the prince regained a fighting stance and looked to his awaiting opponent.

Her hair, which had once been pulled back into a bun, now hung loosely at places. Her clothes, once white and clean, were now burned and ripped in several areas. Her arms seemed to glow with the burns that he had inflicted. But what struck him the most were her eyes. No longer the bluish-grey they had once been, they seemed to now glow with a golden intensity he had never encountered before. Unable to comprehend what changes had actually taken place between himself and the girl now before him, the young boy raised his hand in mercy. "I am done."

The girl eyebrows furrowed at this announcement. "No...we are not", she corrected, her voice dark and menacing.

This caused the boy to step back. _What had happened during their fight?_ His body was sore, and he knew that the girl herself should be falling apart from the looks of her. Yet she demanded that he continue. She reminded him sorely of his father.

Before he could answer, she came again, her battle rage like a beast's, ferocious, merciless toward's it's prey. Zuko yelled as he jumped back, this fight had been short, that was true, but he could not continue much longer And just as he was about to crumble from the exhaustion and pain, a pair of strong hands came from behind and lifted him straight again.

Weakly turning his head to his rescuer, he saw that it was his uncle. The older man's face was heavy with the look of pity, not entirely directed at his nephew, but at the young girl before him. Turning his head back he watched as she cluelessly studied this new person.

This new person seemed to confuse the raging woman, but not enough to quell her desire to fight. In horror, Zuko watched as she came again towards him, fist raised and ready to shoot out her attack. The prince could barely pick out Iroh's new screams as the older man pulled himself and the boy out of harm's way. In a flash, Iroh relaunched himself towards the girl, blocking her attacks. "Ora, calm down!" he shouted, as he grabbed her advancing fist.

In a flash Botan approached the girl from behind. Zuko cowered in fear as the girl physically shook in anger towards him while in Iroh's hold. Then, as Iroh began to speak in a softer tone to the girl, the prince watched as she immediately started to crumble in sorrow between the arms of the adults holding her.

Unsure of how to react to this change of pace, the prince steadied himself best he could in a standing position. However, before he could walk towards the trio, Iroh's hand shot up stopping him. "Stay away", was his only command before returning to gather the girl up from the ground. Slowly Zuko watched as both adults now supported the girl up to her feet.

Ora starred back at him, her eyes now a blue-grey again were filling with tears. She slowly hung her head in obvious shame as she took in his fearful expression and then spoke softly to her supports. Exchanging quick glances towards each other, they let her go and watched as she approached the young man.

Zuko, still quiet afraid of the girl, began to back away. The young woman stopped after seeing this and hung her head. "Zuko...", she started, only to be stopped abruptly.

"What are you!", the prince yelled, his voice wavering.

This time the girl did look up, her face masked with anguish. "I am a mistake", she said. "I am sorry", she added, and then turned away, walking from the arena.

Zuko, unnerved and exhausted, simply fell to the ground, too tired to act brave any longer.

**Act VIII: Who I Am**

Xiong sat by the outside fire as he watched his wife put up the final pieces from the fighting ring they had used earlier. He noted the dark patches under her eye and the frown that seemed to be permanently attached to her face. The waterbender knew that she was upset, that was evident from the crying she had done as she bandaged their young mistress' exhausted body earlier. "Yumi...", he began.

Yumi shook her head 'no' as she hung up the last few tools in the storage house, turning around to find her husband close behind, his arms already opened to draw her into a soft embrace. She let herself fall into them and sighed. "It's hard to brush aside the pain, Xiong, when I see her become like she was. It's hard to accept that she's–"

"Hush", replied to his wife's sorrowful explanation. "It's difficult for all of us to accept, she's our leader as well as friend. But we can never be weak, for her sake. We just have to hide our fears behind our masks of loyalty."

New footsteps caused the surprised couple to turn around. Yumi's mother softly spoke to them, similar evidence of her own sadness echoing through her words. "Lady Ora has asked us to come to the main hall."

Nodding, the couple bowed to the older woman and then turned back towards one another. Yumi studied her husband's eyes before she spoke. "I am still upset, please explain to Ora that I have decided to keep watch over Hea instead."

Xiong nodded and embraced his wife one last time before turning his back and walking towards the main house. He was unsure of his leader's intentions, but he knew that it had something to do with the activities from earlier. Sighing, he reached the door of the main hall.

Opening the room access, he was greeted with even deeper aura of grief. Ora sat in the middle of the room, dressed in a long burgundy kimono, her hair pulled up in an ornate design, decorated with small pearls. Botan sat beside her, plainly dressed and completely emotionless as she studied her son-in-law. Nodding once to the man, the older woman motioned for him to sit on the opposite side of their mistress.

It was then that he knew something important was about to occur. Quietly Xiong moved to the left side of the frail noblewoman, bowing his head as she looked up to watch him descend onto his assigned place and pillow seat. He noted that Ora's hands, delicately lying on her lap, were newly bandaged. Slowly he placed a hand her her arm, then looked into the girl's glassy eyes. "Yumi is unable to come", he quickly stated. "Are you sure this is wise, Lady Ora?"

The girl simply nodded, unable to say anything more as once again the doors to the hall were opened. Iroh, smiling despite the majority, walked in with his nephew in tow.

As the two men sat in their own seats across from Ora and her guardians bowed slightly, ready for the issue to be discussed. Botan was the first to speak, her tone now firmer. "Iroh, Zuko, it is our mistress' wish for her actions to be explained. But due to her...condition...", she started, unable to find the best word to describe the young woman's obvious disposition, "she is unable to address such herself. In her stead, she has asked me to do so." Iroh nodded for the woman to continue, while Zuko kept his eyes on Ora. Botan seemed to take little notice of this as she went on. "I will make this brief, for the sake of both parties. Now..."

She was stopped as Ora placed her hand in the older woman's. "Forgive me, Aunt, but I will brave enough. I should not hide from my mistakes, no matter what they may do to myself." And receiving the approval from her friend, Ora turned back to the guest, locking her eyes with Zuko's.

"I am a lifebender, young prince", she started, flinching only slightly as Zuko's horrified expression. "I see you know what that entails, given your expression." Zuko nodded, despite being very taken back by this news. Ora continued, her voice shaking despite her wishes. "Benders are usually warned in their earlier ages against using such tactics to overthrow their opponents. Only the most despicable of humans use these tools. Even waterbenders, who have the easiest advantage in this approach will never sink low enough to use them. But this is not an option for me. I was born to use the forbidden arts, and despite how much I detest them, I cannot deny they exist as a part of me.

As a young girl, my mother and father noted that I had trouble controlling my bending. Yet they said nothing to me of it, because to them, it was a gift to have a daughter who could both bend fire and earth. I was a prodigy, it mattered little that I could not control my gifts.

But something occurred to my parents on my third birthday. My bending seemed to disappear for hours, sometimes days. Strange to them, it seemed once they touched me, these gifts would come back to life almost instantly. I believe they only thought of these problems as something that would happen to a young child such as myself. But my mother finally realized something was wrong when my father went away for several months, and the day after his departure my ability to fire bend did as well.

This threw my mother into a panic. She wrote to my father immediately, explaining in detail of what was happening to me. Several days later, news came from your uncle that my father had been killed. Apparently someone had intercepted the letter and assumed that I was the new avatar.

We barely escaped with our lives a day later as guards attacked our compound, killing all our servants and guards. Had it not been for Botan and my mother knowing of a secret passage under our home, we would have died as well.

My mother and I hid for several years after that fight. She was not welcomed back in the Earth Kingdom, as she had married into the enemy forces. So we stayed for year hidden by Northern Water Tribe, where we met Xiong, a friend of Botan's.

Much happened that year. As a child, I did not understand why I no longer had a father, and why I could no longer play with my friends. And especially why I was now a fugitive. So it did not occur to me that I should stay hidden in my new settings. Thus, one day I stumbled onto a group of children my age playing with their toys. Excited, I asked to join them. I had made new friends. Sadly, that did not last long.

As we were playing, I watched in the distance as a boy of our age now practicing his bending. I was a little girl, so of course I was entertained by this. I had never seen someone make water move before. Not even Xiong. Excited by this new discovery, I decided to pretend that I was a waterbender too.

Children think little of touching or hugging one another. And in this case, I had touched a girl, or two, as we played with our dolls. In my defense, I did not know what I was then. No one knew. Lifebenders did not exist, or at least, they weren't supposed to.

I began to mimic the man's moves. And to my surprise I could also make the water float! As young as I was, of course I had little training, so my version of the boy's trick was weaker. Thatdid not matter to the other girls around me. They clapped and giggled as I moved the water around myself.

Soon after, Botan happened to catch my act. Reacting quickly, she grabbed my shoulder and began to pull me away from the girls. I jumped away from her, wanting to show her my new trick. To my surprise, I didn't bend water any longer. I was bending white fire."

Before she could continue, Zuko interrupted, "Lighting."

Ora nodded, and then continued again, "Knowing nothing of this, I was very afraid, and immediately caused the lighting to go off into the distance. Thankfully all it struck was a pole, but that was enough to get my mother and I kicked from another home.

Before we left, an old woman approached us and told my mother and Botan of a place in the Earth Kingdom where we could live. That place was here. And so we again moved our lives from one home to another, all in the efforts of protecting me from the world.

As you may have guessed, we have remained here from that point onwards. Botan's daughter, a former private in the fire nation army, decided to move here a year afterwards. Xiong, who Botan had told everything to before our arrival to the Northern Water Tribe, came to visit several times, and much more once he met Yumi–until a year afterwards, when he decided to stay here forever, after Yumi and he were married." The ox-like man smiled and blushed, obviously embarrassed that his mistress shared such information about him.

Ora went on, "When I was seven, I had already been in training in all available bending styles that my guardians and mother could teach me. They thought me to be the Avatar, as it was the only explanation they had for my abilities.

It was Yumi who discovered how I inherited my true nature. At seven, it bothered my mother that I was still going through spells where I would not be able to use some of my bending. So she asked Yumi to teach me basic sword fighting skills in hopes of me always having a defense. My mother had acknowledged that one day the fire nation would learn of me, and so I was trained in order for me to have a chance to keep myself alive.

Yumi had been trained in the fire nation as a spy, and so she knows all-to-well how to pick up information about her enemy's behaviors. As my teacher, she acted no different. In just three days she had discovered the reason I lost my abilities was due to the contact I had with the people that held them.

She told her mother, who in turn told mine. Eager to find out more about the strange behavior of Avatars, they sent Xiong out to gather information. In a matter of weeks he returned, but not with the news my mother expected. I wasn't the Avatar.

Like the Avatar, I can master-and use-all of the four elements. But unlike him, I must touch others in order to do so. The Avatar has all elements at his disposal when he wishes.

In reality, I am a very weak individual. In a fight, I must somehow come in contact with my opponent before I can yield any powers over elements. That is why your uncle told you before our fight to keep your distance. If you do, I cannot fight you through bending. Luckily, my powers allow me an offense when I am attacked, but it takes much of my basic strength to do so.

When you and I fought, Zuko, you repeatedly shot out fire blast that I had to direct away rigorously. If you had continued that for much longer, I would have been defeated easily. But you thought you had an opening, and in ignorance you came in too close–even touched me–and allowed me to use your own strength against you.

As have said before, I absorb the ability to utilize the bending of those who come in contact with me. There is another weakness to this, however. Once my body aligns to a certain form, be in this case fire, my emotions are also changed to those that fuel the person's actions." Stopping, Ora turned her head away momentarily, clearly unsure how to continue.

It was Iroh who chose to speak in this moment. "My nephew is very angry it seems."

Zuko wanted to speak, but could not as Ora returned her now tormented gaze to him. "He is like the fire itself...like the fire itself", she whispered. And again she went silent, this time leaning over to Botan.

The older woman nodded towards her mistress, somehow able to hear words others in the room could not. Slowly, the two stood up and bowed to the guest and Xiong before retreating into the rooms behind them, marking the end of the meeting.

Xiong spoke before Iroh and Zuko could leave. "The Lady Ora is not a horrible person, it was never her choice to be what she is."

Iroh nodded, "I do not believe she is bad either. However, I do believe she does not seek the real use her powers could have. She only sees them as a curse."

Xiong shook his head in disagreement. "When they sent me out to find what I could about her, it took me little time to discover that she wasn't the Avatar. Ironically, I knew she wasn't before then. So did Botan. But we did not know what else she could be. On a whim I searched for what I could be told of lifebenders. Mostly there were the normal myths, but one man, from a Swamp water village I traveled through reaffirmed my opinions.

He also told me that what we were teaching her was wrong. Learning how to bend the elements through others wasn't her calling. 'What she does now is only a defense', he told me. 'All we had taught her was how to be a sloppy Avatar.' And before I could leave him, he told me what she really was. He explained that in essence, she was the Avatar's greatest opposition.

'The Earth has to keep a balance', was the man's explanation. For one great thing must be an equal. But she does not equal the Avatar in strength, that much is obvious. If she attacked him and did not have a substantial defense through bending, the Avatar would easily overtake her. In this way, the Earth is not in her favor. This does not bother Ora. I believe she would prefer never to fulfill her destiny."

"What is that?", questioned Zuko.

"I was not told that, even the man in the swamp did not know much of it. What he did say, however, was that something would happen to Ora...", Xiong looked at Iroh briefly, sighing, "...and perhaps it already has...and she would lose herself, her 'innocence' as a human and complete her destiny. Something important would happen between her and the Avatar."

"Could she destroy the Avatar?", asked the younger man.

Xiong stared at the floor while he answered this question. "Yes. From what information I have been given of the Avatar, she would kill the boy in seconds."

"Could her guardians protect her from such a fate?", enquired Iroh.

"I do not believe so, my Lord. You witnessed the change in her behavior when your nephew touched her earlier. She soaks in everything a person feels inside. And sometimes I think she even becomes a part of the element she bends. I do not think we would stand a chance against her if she took on the Avatar."

"What if one of you happened to touch her after she encountered the Avatar?", suggested Zuko, who by now had moved from his stiff kneeling position into crouch on top of his pillow.

Xiong shook his head 'no'. "Recently Yumi, Botan, and I have observed that our mistress holds on to the power she wishes, despite the fact that she has been touched by others. We have not told her this, because we believe it would cause her distress."

Zuko jumped towards the man, completely overcome with amazement at the guardian's decision. "You are hurting her by keeping such things hidden from her! Why are you keeping such an important issue about her abilities hidden!", he shouted.

Xiong sat silent for a long while, staring into the brazen boy's eyes, his brow drawn together in anger. "Because", he said, his voice furious at first and then very sad several seconds later as he continued. "Because if we were to tell her that, it is confirming our fears. It is admitting that she cannot change her destiny, and everything I've told you about her is true. It is admitting that she is that demon from the myths, something that uses the souls of others at it's own discretion. It is admitting that she is nothing more than a tool of chaos and destruction."

Tears poured down the man's face as he began to sob. "And we don't want to. Because we don't want to let go of the hope that inside that girl is the soul of someone who would rather stay here, in the midst of these trees, remaining an unknown person for the rest of her life. Nothing more than a fathom. Nothing more than the unknown reality of a bender's myth."

The two guest did not say anything after the man stopped his confessions. Zuko watched as his uncle carefully reached over and consoled the troubled man before excusing himself and his nephew from the room.

The young man now understood why they had been so secretive around him. Had he been a spy himself, such information as this would have surely gained him back his place beside his Fire lord father. Ora would have been one of the biggest assets the fire nation could have ever contained against the Avatar.

But looking at his uncle's face, he knew he would never do anything to harm the girl in this manner. Before him stood a solemn man who had already known such information for several years and had decided, for some strange reason, to keep it to himself. Why, Zuko did not know. Perhaps he would ask him later. For now, he had been more than satisfied with knowing Ora's real identity.


End file.
